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Where does Dropbox for Android saves files when you click on "Download"?

I've read How to search for files and folders?

But my /sdcard/dropbox is empty even if I've downloaded a file just now.

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Pitto
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    Tangentially, I'd like to recommend Dropsync for folder syncing: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.dropsync (it's free) – pzkpfw Oct 02 '12 at 10:28

9 Answers9

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Dropbox 3.0 (3.0.3.2) and Sony Xperia T3:

/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files

As of Dropbox 2.0 the right location by default is

/mnt/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch/[files]

Found the things with Astro file manager (Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9).

Moto G4 [Aaron]

On a new Moto G4 the Dropbox app has no "star" mechanism, instead you enable the "allow offline access" option, and the actual location this file showed up was

/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/[userhash]/scratch/[‌​file]
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Léo Léopold Hertz 준영
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    Not really wrong, actually -- before Dropbox 2.0 this was indeed the place to find favourite/offline files, and they changed it to the obscure directory you have posted for some reason that eludes me. – Martin Tapankov Feb 13 '12 at 17:49
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    i use 2.0.1 this answer is correct. the location is not in "/mnt/sdcard/download" anymore – kirill_igum Feb 13 '12 at 18:04
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    It would likely be a change in the Android API rules that has dictated this new location. – staticsan Feb 14 '12 at 00:11
  • I hate this location. It should let us choose where, and be by default set to /mtn/sdcard/download or mnt/sdcard/dropbox. – cregox Sep 18 '13 at 19:24
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    Remember that for newer Dropbox apps (mone is 2.4.7.14) you have to favorite the files first for them to be downloaded and available. – Spiralis Jan 02 '15 at 18:07
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    In Dropbox 3.0.3.2: /Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files (Sony Xperia T3) – Sadi Oct 12 '15 at 13:48
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    On a new Moto G4 the Dropbox app has no "star" mechanism, instead you enable the "allow offline access" option, and the actual location this file showed up was /Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/[userhash]/scratch/[file] – Aaron Beall Jan 23 '17 at 15:55
  • This is no longer the case. That folder becomes empty as of today. – Beeno Tung Nov 18 '20 at 00:13
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For now in the Dropbox App there is no download option, but there is favorite option (star).

When you favorite something, it downloads this for offline use in sdcard/android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/scratch

You can do it only for files, not whole folders.

wonea
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luke skywalker
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  • actually, there is an app for that (doing it for folders): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.jjinx.dropboxdownloader or even sync'ing (paid one): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ttxapps.dropsync.pro – cregox Sep 18 '13 at 19:27
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Dropbox on my Samsung Note 3 has its storage at /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/.

HTH

Firelord
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Guy
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The default location where Dropbox will place downloaded files is /mnt/sdcard/download on my OG Droid. I can't imagine it changes much between phone models.

newuser
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2

As of Dropbox for Andrioid 218.2.2 (and probably earlier) offline files/folders are no longer saved in in a directory that is directly accessible to the user or to other apps. The only way to access them is through the Dropbox app.

I'm running Android 10 on a Pixel 1. /storage/emulated/0/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/ used to work but it doesn't work anymore.

Previously I was using this to download audiobooks (stored in Dropbox) to my phone. Now that Dropbox no longer supports this, Dropsync seems to work; I recommend trying it if you have a similar use case.

Max Wallace
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As of September 2019, Dropbox for Android 156.2.2 the following applies on my Huawei Nova 3i phone.

* This applies to files where "Make available offline" has been selected * If the file hasn't been made available offline I don't believe there is a persistent copy of it on the device, and the file contents are probably streamed when the file is accessed.

If the file is located at 

<Dropbox>\Some folder\Somefile.txt

then when Make available offline is checked, a persistent copy of the file is placed at:

Main storage/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/u123456/scratch/Some folder/Somefile.txt

For other devices Main storage will be different. u123456 (obfuscated) probably identifies the Dropbox account.

A quick test seems to indicate that there is no connection in the opposite direction -i.e. I created a folder and file using an android file manager at:

Main storage/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/u123456/scratch/test/temp.txt

but the file/folder doesn't appear in the dropbox image.

rossmcm
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/sdcard/Android/data/com.dropbox.android/files/ in LG G3 beat running Android 4.4.2.

Firelord
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Sergio
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If you want to download the file to the "Downloads" folder in the normal way then click the "..." under the file and select "Save" option.

enter image description here

Mark Kortink
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The Astro file manager can connect to your Dropbox easily so that you can access your Dropbox similar to a usual folder.

You can also use it to download a whole folder (or more precisely copy a folder in your Dropbox into your SD card). Downloading is pretty slow though.

Reza
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